Meribeth C. Shank reviews children's books, writes picture books, teaches adult classes on Writing Books for Children, works in the Media Center at Miami Country Day School, an independent school in Miami Shores, Florida, and earned her MFA in Writing for Children from Vermont College and her undergraduate degree in elementary education from Goshen College.
meribeths@earthlink.net

Monday, May 2, 2016

Red Brocade (Monday Poem)

by Naomi Shihab Nye

The Arabs used to say,

When a stranger appears at your door,

feed him for three days

before asking who he is,

where he's come from,

where he's headed.

That way, he'll have strength

enough to answer.

Or, by then you'll be

such good friends

you don't care.

Let's go back to that.

Rice? Pine nuts?

Here, take the red brocade pillow.

My child will serve water

to your horse.

No, I was not busy when you came!

I was not preparing to be busy.

That's the armor everyone put on

to pretend they had a purpose

in the world.

I refuse to be claimed.

Your plate is waiting.

We will snip fresh mint

into your tea.

from 19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East by Naomi Shihab Nye, 2005, HarperCollins

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About Me

I'm a Specialist in Children's and Young Adult Literature, specifically in Educational and Library settings. Also, I review children's books for magazine and newspaper and I write for children. Additionally, I have trained to be a Labyrinth Facilitator.